A Children’s Sermon on Mark 11:1-11 — Palm Sunday

Preface for Pastors and Parents

For Palm Sunday in Year B, I bring you a children’s sermon on Mark 11:1-11. That’s one of four options offered to churches in the Revised Common Lectionary, as I detailed in my Monday Meditation on this passage back in 2021.

The trick in a Palm Sunday children’s sermon (or even in a grownups’ sermon) is to focus on the distinctive way the particular Gospel text tells the story. Each of the four is different in subtle but important ways. It’s helpful to see each one clearly rather than blurring them together unconsciously. 

So, without further ado, here’s my children’s sermon on Mark 11:1-11.

A Children’s Sermon on Mark 11:1-11

Good morning kids! I’m so glad to see you here in worship today. Thanks for coming up to hear the children’s sermon. 

Today is a very special day in the Church year. We are almost at the end of Lent. Lent is the forty days, not counting Sundays, that we spend getting ready for the most important day of the whole Christian year: That day is Easter, and it’s next Sunday. 

In Lent we get ready inside ourselves for the new life that came because Jesus rose up alive on Easter morning. 

This week is the last week of Lent. We call it Holy Week. This week we remember the things that happened the week Jesus died on the cross.

In Bethany

On Sunday morning, Jesus and his disciples were walking down the road. All the disciples were sad. They were on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus had told them that terrible things would happen to him when they got there.

“Hey Jesus!” said Peter “We’re passing right by Bethany. How about we stop and say hi to Mary and Martha and Lazarus.”

“Oh, I’d love to see them,” said Jesus, “but I can’t stop today. While we’re here, though, I want a couple of you to go into the village. I need to borrow a colt.” 

“A colt?” asked Peter.

“Yeah, a colt,” said Jesus. “You know: a young horse.”

“I know what a colt is,” said Peter. “But why do you need one?”

“I want to ride it into Jerusalem,” he said. “It’s going to be super dramatic. Plus, in the Bible the prophet Zechariah said the Messiah would come riding a colt.” 

“Interesting,” said Peter, “but how are we supposed to get you a colt?”

“I’ve got it all planned out,” said Jesus. “I asked a friend of mine to have it ready outside his house. If anybody asks, just tell them ‘The Lord needs it!’ That’s like our secret password.”

So two of the disciples went into Bethany. They found the colt. They untied it. When the owner asked what they were doing, they just said “The Lord needs it!” and the owner let them take it.

The Road to Jerusalem

Bethany is only a couple miles from Jerusalem. Once they were close enough to see the city, Jesus said “It’s time for my big dramatic entrance! Help me get on this colt, okay?”

Peter said “Hey, if you’re coming in as the Messiah, we should make it extra fancy! Let’s put our coats on the colt for you to sit on.”

So, some of them did that. 

Then John said, “I know! You should ride in on a royal carpet! Lets put the rest of our coats down for you to ride on!”

So the rest of them did that. 

People saw what they were doing and came to join the fun. Some took off their coats to add to the carpet. Others ran out to the fields and cut leafy branches from the trees. They laid those down too.

And Jesus rode his colt across that pretend royal carpet. 

The closer they got to the city, the more people came and added coats and branches. They were all having so much fun. 

Whenever someone asked why Jesus was riding a colt over a special carpet of coats and branches, the disciples reminded them that the Prophet Zechariah said the Messiah would come that way.

Pretty soon the people in the crowd started singing all their favorite Messiah songs.

They sang “Hosanna!” 

They sang “Blessed is the one who comes on the name of the Lord!”

They sang “Blessed is the Kingdom of David our ancestor!”

They sang “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Messiah who is coming!”

They sang, and they laughed, all the way to the city.

In Jerusalem.

When they got there, Peter said “So, what do we do now?”

And Jesus said, “Let’s go to the Temple.” 

So they went to the Temple. It was full of people buying and selling animals for Passover. And there were money changers working at their tables. They took foreign money from travelers and gave them local money to spend.

Peter said “They shouldn’t be doing this in the Temple should they? Shouldn’t we do something to stop them?”

But Jesus said “Not today. Let’s go back to Bethany. Maybe we can stay with Mary and Martha and Lazarus.”

Peter was so surprised. “But we just got here! You said it was so important to make a big entrance! How can we just turn around and go back?”

Jesus said, “Today I’ve done what was most important. Now its time to go. Don’t forget to bring the colt! We need to return it to my friend.”

Wondering

I wonder why it was so important to Jesus to leave right away after he entered Jerusalem in that dramatic way?

I wonder what the people thought when they saw him riding a colt over coats and branches?

I wonder what you and I might do to make Jesus feel welcome in our town?

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You are, of course, free to use this children’s sermon, or adapt it as you find most useful. But, if you use it, please do one (or more!) of the following.

• You can let me know that you are using it, either in the comments below, or using the contact form above.
• You can put a little notice in your church bulletin that your children’s sermon is adapted from one published on GaryNealHansen.com.
• You can support my work over on Patreon. (Just $1 per month brings my children’s sermons straight to your inbox about two minutes after they go live. And every little bit keeps me going…)